A little while back, my husband decided to hang our TV on the wall. At the time, we had objects covering the cords so we chose not to hide the cords in the wall, making the installation a little easier for ourselves my husband (who am I kidding…my job was to stand on the other side of the room to decide if I liked the placement!). Now, of course, the cords are hanging down and there’s just blank wall framing our TV, so I’m not thrilled with the look. Do you see a project in my future?!

Creating a Collected Gallery Wall

Now that I have a few pieces of art, I’m anxious to start the project, but can’t because with the type of gallery wall that I want to create, I really need to have all of the pieces so that I can lay it out properly. As I’ve learned, even though wall galleries sometimes look haphazard and random, they are actually carefully crafted so that there is a visual balance in terms of both weight and color.

I’ve always loved the looks of gallery walls because they add so much visual interest to a space. There are many different types of gallery walls. Some are symmetrical and structured with matching frames, and assuming you have the wall space, you can add to them over time by just continuing to expand the shape.

But the look that I’m going for is a collected look, like this example from Pottery Barn, that has a common color scheme, but a mixture of prints and art, different frames, and other wall decor added to the mix.

A collected gallery wall is a little of this and a little of that but with lotsof meaning

As I’m looking for the remaining pieces to create my gallery wall, my hope is that I can find pieces that are meaningful to my family. My husband’s hobby is astrophotography and I’d love to include some of his images. I’m also looking at ways that I can frame my grandmother’s gloves from when she was a baby. Aren’t they cute?!

Tips & Tidbits

Here are some helpful tips for creating a gallery wall:

1. If the gallery wall is visible from the side angle, look for pieces that are relatively similar in terms of depth so that one doesn’t stick out further than the others.

2. Try to incorporate only pieces you love because it will make the entire gallery more meaningful to you.

3. If you want a more formal display, use matching frames and hang them symmetrically. For a more casual look, try different frames in different sizes with an organic shape.

4. Unless you are going for an eclectic look, your pieces need to have at least one thing in common with each other so that the grouping feels cohesive. So even if you use different frames, keep everything within a particular color palette. Also ensure that you have some repeating sizes (see below).

5. Again, unless you want to create an eclectic look, ensure that there is some uniformity among the frames so that your eye can detect a pattern. You can use different frames, but stick to 2-3 sizes and make sure that you have more than one of each size so that there is some repetition.

6. Get creative! With a collected look, you can mix and match wall decor, so in addition to framed prints or photos, think about mirrors, wooden letters, clocks, signs, even jewelry or vinyl sayings!

7. When creating an organic shape on your gallery wall, ensure that you maintain a weight balance left to right and top to bottom.

8. Visually, the middle of the wall isn’t always the best place to start! Instead, think about the Rule of Thirds as defined in photography, and imagine a grid on your wall. I’m still learning the art of photography and am not an expert, but there is a good explanation of the Rule of Thirds located here.

9. Hanging Help: I came across this handy idea from 320 Sycamore for laying out and hanging a gallery wall using paper templates so that you can move them around until you get them positioned just how you want! See the full details {here}.

10. Layout Help: I also came across this great visual on Pinterest that shows many different ways to lay out a gallery wall if you’re too intimidated to try without first having a plan in mind.